Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1887-12-09
PROHIBITION.
Can 1t Be Made Successful p
Some Convincing Facts
and Figures.
Iron tho Toledo Blade.1


for the more ready comprehension of the
point involved. 1t is commonly stated
| thus: "Does Prohibition Prohibit" Aod
the answer is, as rule, made to be a neg
| alive one. But the reasoning through
which such result is made to appear is
incorrect, because based upon the fallacy
that if a law is infringed or violated, it is q
failure.
That this is not the test of laws value
is at once apparent when applied TO any
statute except a prohibitory one. livery
day the police courts of our cities are
called to try cases of theft; there is hardly
an issue of daily newspaper but contains
an account of burglary or robbery; shall
we then 1say that the laws against larceny
and burglary are inetfective-that they
crusade for their repeal because men still
steal, despite the laws?
There are stringent laws in every State
against the violation of the Seventh Com
mandment; yet there is not city Of any
size in the land in which the Social evil
is not found. Shall we then start the cry
that the laws against unchastityl don't pro-
hibit," and that therefore they must be re-
pealed?
Yet that is exactly the ground that the
enemies of prohibition IN Iowa anu in the
city of Atlanta are now st,nding upon.
They are asking for the repeal Of the pro-
hibitory law upon the ground that it cannot
be enforced-that rum is still soR, despite
the law. And, to make this pleahs strong
as possible with the unthinking. they have
falsifed the facts, and made out the viola
tons to be much more numerous than they
really are.
These falsifcations stirred up tle friends
Of Prohibition in Des NIoines, whJrecently
appointed citizens committee to- investi-
gate and report as to the truth Of alleged
statements that as much liquor lis sold in
that city now as before the prohibitoly
amendment was adopted The committee
reports that the statements are untrue.
When the law went into force, July, 4,
1854, there were sixty-three Licensed sa-
looms, score of drug stores, fouHbreweries
and one distil!ery, and numerous illicit
places whore liquor was sold. Vow there
is no open selling or making d liquor.
The report says:
"The effect upon crime has Eeen great.
The number of commitments II the peni-
Tertiary for the entire State in the year
the population; the following year one in
5,026; in 1885, one in 5,419; and in 1887,
one in 1924. For the year ending August
81, 1854, there were twenty.seven persons
sent from this county to the psnitentiary;
in 1885, there We're twenty; while for the
year ending August 81, 1881, only thirteen.
The commitments to the county Jail also
show marked decrease. The number of
indictments by the Grand Jury gets less
every term, while the costs IN court ex-
penses have fallen off more than one half.
ave have not been able to hear of any
one desirable citizen leaving our State be-
cause Of prohibition, but Of many who have
come into it because of prohibition. We
have received the present year large car
riage factory. with twelve hands, large
starch factory, one of the largest elevators
in the West, the erection Of a magnificent
dwelling houses. In schools it has beer
found necessary to provide increased
school accommodations Within two years
fifteen additional school rooms have beer
opened in the city. The schools open this
year with 400 more pupils than last year.
The above report is ample proof of the
fact that the law is a success in Def
Moines. And if it can be made success
in that city, why not i'll any other'
The theory that a law is a failure unless
it has no violations is an absurd one. The
examples we have given above show thit
clearly. No one claims that the laws pun.
fishing the various forms of theft are fail
ures because there are frequent violations
thereof; no one declares that che statutes
Furnishing adultery are unsuccessful be-
cause they are constantly violated; and n,
one lifts his voice in loud demand tina
these laws shall be repealed because the,
are failures"
1t can be asserted, without the slightes
fear of successful contradiction, that tn
prohibitory enactments of thevarious State
are quite Us we'll observed as any othe
laws upon the statute books. The pie
fails, that they don't prohibit" for it i
clear to every one that they are as wei
executed as are other penal enpctments
Some other reason for calling for repea
of prohibition must be assigned, il the pub
lie is to be influenced, and the struggle TO
a reversal of this legisla ion is to 60 on.
But what reason can be assigned whic
has not been advanced, and been success
fully controverted? We know o: none.
The plea that prohibition would iniur
business" is disproved by the above repol
from Des Moines, by the workings of pro
hibition in Atlanta, and elsewhere.
The plea that it would increase taxes
has also fallen to the ground. The rapi
increase of prohibition communities il
population and wealth adds to the tax valu
alton and decreases taxation to the indi
vidual
The plea that Prohibition don't prohib
it" is shown to be false. What else can tn
Rum Power adduce as pretext on whic
to ask for repeal of Prohibtory legisla
ton?
None, except the real one -Money.
The men who demand recognition o
the Rum traffic are those who make none
out of 1.-THE makers and sellers.
The Rum traffic is the parent Of igno
rance and poverty. of vice and crime;
adds to the taxes. saps the morals of til
community, NEEDLES in politics, and is Q
war with all that is good in humanity an
in civilization; vet, because it is mine c
gold to men whose consciences are suffi
GENTLY scared to allow them to follow i
they have the temerity to ask that the leg,
barriers be brok en- down that they may re
new their devlish work!
Never! Let not Iowa prove recreant I
her trust; let not Atlanta yield to the temp
ings of the Rum Devil! "Keep all the tel
ritory already wrested from Rum, and e
forward, conquering and to conquer
should be the motto of every one who is
earnest in the effort to pulverize the Ru
Power.
The Farmer and the Saloon.
The great argument used for licensir
the saloons is that revenue is secured
lessen taxation; license money will bui
| Il nnr}c n1,@ 1r o,>I